Thirty-two members of Cub Scout Pack 35 visited the Waste Management Recycling Center in Santa Ana recently to learn more about recycling

Among the lessons learned by the Cubs and their parents was the surprising message that paper can be recycled regardless of it being wet or dirty. The Scouts also learned about how a recycling facility sorts and processes different types of plastic.

The cubs headed out to the trash yard to see trucks and tractors delivering tons of trash in 30-foot piles that would be sorted and shipped from the temporary holding facility, where refuse remains for only 48 hours before being sent to a landfill or a recycling factory in China.

The most notable finding was the sheer volume of trash handled at the facility. “It’s amazing how much trash there is here,” said Scout Jared Moy. “This place is a dump!”